0024watchworld.com

2011 saw a major effort to put this right. The brand and collection have been tidied up and a new line of square watches launched, called (for some reason) the Hamptons collection after New York state’s luxury enclave of the same name.

However, the re-jigging of the Capeland line of chronograph watches has been the most eye-catching element, led by this flyback number. Now one can argue that the retro thing has been done to death – and, to be fair, it has. But that just means a watch has to work even harder to stand out from the pack, something I think this one manages with aplomb.

It’s inspired by a watch from the ‘40s, when tachymeters and telemeters were useful tools rather than nostalgic dial decoration. The contemporary version is a thoroughly modern 44mm across, and it’s necessarily deep too to fit in that flyback movement, but in a case that’s subtly curved above and below the lugs and sides.

I wore it out and about over the party season, during which time it drew a lot of very favourable comments – this is a watch with real panache. The key to the harmony of the dial design, I think, is in the colour match up between the three blue rings of the tachymeter display and the blued steel of the Breguet hands, contrasting with the black outer telemeter ring and those graceful hour numerals; and the large dome of sapphire crystal neatly adds an extra level of framing.

The 27-jewel flyback movement from La Joux-Perret is very nicely worked, with plenty of pretty decoration visible through the exhibition caseback. You’ll notice B&M’s ‘phi’ emblem cut into the rotor, and this also shows up on the crown and the clasp. 

You wouldn’t expect this to be cheap, but the £4,990 (€6,055) price tag is at the steepest end one could expect for this watch. There’s a rose gold version too if you really want to crank up the spend, but I think this steel version is more stylish. Smartest of all, though, may be the black dial version B&M is due to unveil at this month’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva.